I had trouble finding a winning pick for Dim Sum downtown. The general consensus is that the consensus picks have all gone downhill. The fact that it’s 9:30 on a Monday morning doesn’t help matters any. Most dim sum houses open at 11:00, with the best dumplings and/or cart service being offered only on the weekends. Hunan’s Home, with 2 ‘downhill’ reviews for every 3 raves, is closed. I nearly settle on a Broadway kitchen advertising cheap Chinese breakfast specials until spotting Louie’s Dim Sum tucked into a small storefront. I remembered enough Internet praise the night before to slide in. Countless trays of plain white Chinese buns fill the place, and that’s what the mostly Chinese clientele are coming in for.But between the buns sits Louie’s pleasantly presented dim sum plate, and though it’s more than I want, for $5, I can spring for the whole thing. Thankful to not be handed the display plate sitting out, the cashier reaches into two large bamboo vats to grab 2 of each dumpling, which look prettier on the plate than in the plastic take out container they’re shoved into.
No carts here. No tables either, just a thin counter with 2 stools. Above the counter are sheets of colored paper explaining dim sum and its place in Chinese culture to the tourists that stop by. And though it explains that dim sum is never served without a pitcher of tea, they don’t serve tea and offer me a Coke instead. I decline. The garlicky green vegetable dumplings--leeks perhaps--with a large, thick skin are the best of the lot. Shu mai style pieces are greasy, somewhat grey, and at times gristly. I'm joining the choir that proclaims that the dim sum here is 'just okay.' But just okay was good enough to fill me up and leave me with snacks for the rest of the afternoon.
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